After making their mark on the San Francisco food scene with a handful of successful eateries, O‘ahu-raised chefs Kin Lui and Ray Wang have returned home to open Tane Vegan Izakaya, a jewel box of a restaurant in the Mo‘ili‘ili district of Honolulu. The duo first joined forces with ocean conservation activist Casson Trenor in 2008 to open Tataki, the world’s first sushi bar to serve only sustainable seafood. When these efforts to protect the oceans didn’t satisfy them, they went on to open Shizen, the exceptional plant-based sushi bar in the Mission District.
Tane is Shizen’s sister restaurant on this side of the Pacific. The unassuming exterior belies a sleek and sexy interior, the perfect setting for its high-end, plant-based menu with artful flavors. Flowers, seaweed and mushrooms combine into a savory, aromatic broth, the base for their exquisite spicy garlic miso ramen, which is topped with a smoky and surprisingly fishy tofu. This tofu is also paired with shichimi togarashi, sesame and sweet shoyu in The Wedge, their standout tempura specialty roll. The cuisine is a testament to the skilled chefs, who have whipped fruit and vegetables into delicious and masterful combinations that mimic the gravitas of meat and defy the palate.
2065 S. Beretania St., Mo‘ili‘ili, 888.7678, tanevegan.com
Photography by: Courtesy of Tane Izakaya
